1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-eye image pickup apparatus having two or more image pickup devices, and more particularly to a photometric system in a camera for picking up image data for stereoscopic vision with binocular parallax between the left and right eyes or in a camera apparatus for picking up image data, which is for combining images obtained by a plurality of respective pickup portions with each other, changing a width-to-length ratio of image plane (or changing the aspect ratio), and displaying a reconstructed image.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 7 is a block diagram to show structure of a conventional multi-eye image pickup apparatus of this type.
In FIG. 7, reference numeral 71 designates a control unit for controlling the overall operation, 72 a switch for changeover between a photography mode and an adjustment mode, 73 a switch for giving an instruction of either photography start or photography stop, and 77R, 77L right and left pickup portions, respectively. Although not shown, there are a pickup lens, an aperture stop, a shutter, and an image sensor included in each pickup portion, which is thus equivalent to those for movie cameras or for still cameras.
Further, each block 78R, 78L denotes a signal processing unit for performing color processing for signals obtained by the associated image pickup portion 77R, 77L, and 79 further denotes a recording portion for storing the signals obtained by the image pickup portions 77R, 77L in a magnetic tape or in a magnetic disk.
Supposing the above arrangement is used to take images of point P, the images obtained by the left and right image pickup portions have a binocular parallax of angle .theta.. When reconstructed images are observed through the left and right corresponding eyes, a stereoscopic image can be attained.
Incidentally, the angle .theta. is called as a convergence angle and a distance L between the two image pickup portions as a base length.
There is also proposed a system for obtaining a panorama image by controlling the convergence angle, the zoom ratio, etc. of such a multi-eye camera and combining the images obtained by the two image pickup portions.
In the conventional cameras, a control of exposure amount for the image pickup system having two image pickup portions as described is performed in such a manner that photometry is first carried out with one image pickup portion (say R), similarly as with an ordinary single-eye video camera, and that an exposure amount of the other image pickup portion (say L) is controlled so as to become equal to that of R.